First of all, her Voice-Over ‘recipes’
are well-prepared, easy-to-follow and always taste delicious. (After all, Deb’s
a well-branded ‘Chef’, VO Actor, VO Coach, On-Camera TV Host + Coach and
produces crackin’ VO demos) so she’s done her time in the kitchen and she’s
still doin’ it. And secondly, she’s a Coach/Mentor and kindred-spirited friend. So this will be a quick, easy, loud
and lively Debby Barnes Voice-Over
Rah-Rah! for sure.

Especially so, because another
valuable Edge Studio newsletter recently featured her blog: ‘Losing
a Voice-Over Job – Making the Proverbial Lemonade Out of a Sour Experience’. And needless to say, I could hardly wait to dig-in with delight.

Man can she cook. And her
particular ‘Job Loss Gumbo’ is a
must for every VOT from amateur to pro. After giving us the ‘ingredients’ for
her ‘dish’, she says: “The results of
this recipe always change – so you must prepare yourself and be willing to
accept the outcome. Luckily, the outcome of a job loss can actually be
successful. (Which is good, because I much prefer writing recipes for success.)”

And she does. By reminding all
of us that we are going to lose a job at some point in our careers, she goes on to assure
us that we’re not alone. (That in itself is comforting.) And with this: “It’s important for you to embrace and
learn from what happened.”; she
shares an important truth. Along with
this: “You may NEVER know why you lose a
job, but it’s important that you take the steps to care about what
happened, and what you need to do in order to grow from the experience.” This
right here, the care ingredient, was part of the recipe that I needed to savour
the flavour of. Because when I care, I
always try to do what’s necessary in order to grow, and I bet you do too.

BTW: When I experienced an
unexpected and uncomfortable professional situation awhile back, I tapped-into Deb's heart
and her experience and found a chick that really does care; someone who was more
than willing to whip-me-up a warm and soothing bowl of chicken soup
for the voice and the soul.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

This week it’s a delight to highlightGary Terzza and
give him a lively (...and belated) Debby Barnes
Voice-Over Rah-Rah! because he’s My
VO local. You see, my Voice-Over journey started with him, (...through his Voice-Over Masterclass) so this shout-out
is a no-brainer. It’s also a nice opportunity to publicly acknowledge and
thank him for returning my call the day I reached-out to him for his
industry counsel. (…not to mention the time he spent ‘spoon-feeding’ me through
the VO basics.) He’s a big deal here in the UK, so calling little ‘ol me back
to chat was no small thing. But this is 'how he rolls'. He always acknowledges
and responds to people personally and professionally. And I’m so drawn to people
with kind eyes, an attentive nature, and a smile I can hear over the phone. That's Gary.

Though Gary started at Great Britain’s
ITV over 30 years ago, co-presented ‘City’, and has had his own radio shows as
well, he’s now the continuity announcer that introduces some very popular
programs for Channel4 and MORE4. He’s one of Channel 4’s best known voice-overs
and he’s also a regular live announcer on the digital channel E4. And as I referred to above, he also gives
Sound Training In Voiceovers through
his 'Gary Terzza's Voice-Over Masterclass’. Phew.
How he finds time to do all he does, as well as write blogs and coach students is beyond
me, but I’m sure glad he does.

His recent post: 'Local Voice Over Jobs: Do They Exist?' was
so enlightening and beneficial. He reminds all of us that there is life outside of P2P’s and it
actually might be closer than we think. By asking us: “How about looking for voiceover work on your doorstep?”, he gets
us curious enough to read on and think through the potential marketing
benefits of contacting local VO leads in our backyard (…or back garden, as
they say in the UK.) The fact is, cable and digital TV channels are popping-up
all over the map. It’s no wonder Gary highly encourages us to look into locally
produced programes. After all, they could have unique VO needs that WE might be able to
meet; all accessed with a Google click (...or a phone call, for that matter). He even gives us a random example of
what this kind of search would look like. And he ties things up nicely with, "You never know who is next door, so get knocking on those doors." I'm certainly glad he 'opened the door' when I came 'knockin'. Yep, this grateful American is SO pleased Gary Terzza is My VO Local. Rah-Rah!, GT.

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

For Voice-Over professionals,
getting our heads inside every text in order to communicate its message
properly is essential. So when Edge Studio’s, Carol Monda expounded on this very issue in her blog, ‘That is the Question’ I was gripped.
Carol’s an actor, voice-over talent and Audie award-winning audiobook narrator
who’s worked for some of the best in the biz. So I was ready to hang on every
word of this prolific talent’s post and highlight every thing I wanted to remember. There is such substance in what she
shares that I knew immediately it would a be read + re-read type of blog. I also knew it would be a Debby Barnes Voice-Over
Rah-Rah!

For me personally, what she
writes is compelling. She reminds us to poke and probe our scripts with the
kind of questions that bring about valuable results. (And in light of the kind
of results she’s had in her career, we can’t ignore her wisdom.) Though most of
us know how vital it is to actually identify the audience we’re speaking to,
Carol further clarifies: “…our job is not
merely to identify the audience, but to deliver our message directly to him or
her.” Because in her words, “…the
defined audience is best considered to be one person.This brings a level of specificity, intimacy and focus to our work.” I love this.

In order to get to the heart of
every message we’re appointed to convey, she’s spot-on to point us toward its
infrastructure in order to ask ourselves some key questions. By doing this we can be
much more authentic in how we ultimately deliver the copy.

Because I’ve always been attracted
to language, the use of language, and the words themselves, I really appreciate
the valuable tools she gives us to find more “…depth of meaning in a given piece of copy.”She ties things up nicely by stating
something I went-on to highlight: “The unpacking,
unveiling, and unravelling of the words allows these words a greater meaning
and a more sumptuous message. And isn’t the meaning the message?” Wow. For
me, this is the all-important question. The
right question.

Words colour our world so
brilliantly and expressing these words for others in the way they need them
expressed is imperative. Isn’t it? Rah-Rah!
Carol. Rah-Rah!

Tuesday, 7 January 2014

Hear ye! Hear ye! Another multi-talented VOT who’s written
another meaningful VO article, entitled: ‘Voice
Over - The Lost Art of Listening’. This time the thoughtful blogger is
the accomplished engineer, producer, director and author: Dan Friedman. He's into intentional listening because he’s fully present and all about sound; switched-on
and tuned-in. I know this
guy, I thought. Yeah, I’ve read his book ‘Sound
Advice’ in order to get an even better technological understanding of
recording in my home studio. His 'Sound 4VO' blog is another wonderful resource I need and read. I’ve also listened to his particular perspective through the various webinars he’s offered. His advice is always sage, so a Debby Barnes Voice-Over Rah-Rah! is
definitely in order.

Because he’s so wrapped-up in
modern technology 24/7, I relished reading that his recent (2013) hiking trip afforded
him time to listen to nature. And I could understand how he found it to be music
to his ears. He writes: “Listening,
truly listening, seems to be a lost art.” In my humble opinion, he’s right.
We’re all so busy being and doing that most of us forget to stop and listen, really listen to
the sound of life that encircles us. So, I too think intentional listening is vital.

Dan reminds us “…that listening is more important than
speaking.” And one of the opinions he shared really struck me, “The best voice over coach is your ears.”
I actually considered this to be rather profound. Our ears sharpen so many of our skills (...especially when it comes to editing our audio files.)The other questions he goes on to
ask his fellow Voice-Over colleagues are choice. And I for one, am going to
start listening to these queries and applying them. Staying keen to what we
hear…really hear, can speak to us. Perhaps what we absorb will not only bring
about a beneficial change in us, but a favourable change in how we express
ourselves in order to meet our client’s voice-over needs effectively. What a win-win.

About Me

When Debby Barnes jumped-into the Voice-Over industry, she jumped-in with years of vocal education and experience, and a hungry heart to serve clients' VO needs. (She landed IVR, Promo and Video
Narration work right out-of the gates.) She's still as hungry as ever and committed to
staying current within the industry while offering clients the professional
Voice-Over work they want, when they want it.

Clients say she has a compelling customer-friendly voice that's warm, clear
and engaging, so she believes she's got a voice you want to get to know. She's eager to say
what you want said with her rich, polished, friendly, amusing, empathetic and
trustworthy Standard Non-Regional, North American voice. And she'd be delighted to meet your need with her particular read. So if you've got something you want her to talk convincingly about, she's your gal! www.debbybarnes.com